AMES, Iowa -- John Krout, director of the Gerontology Institute in the
Center for Health Sciences, Ithaca College, New York, will speak on "Aging
in Rural America" at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30. The event will be in the
Gateway Conference Center, Highway 30 and Elwood Drive South, Ames. It is
free and open to the public.

Krout is the 2004-05 Dean Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair for Iowa
State University's College of Family and Consumer Sciences. He is an
internationally recognized scholar on aging in rural America, aging policies
and programs, the sociology of aging and medical sociology.

Maurice MacDonald, professor and chair of the department of human
development and family studies, said Krout will conduct four public
lectures, visit classrooms, consult with faculty on research and extension
projects, and present the keynote speech at an April 2005 conference on
"Rural Aging in Iowa: Learning, Research and Engagement."

"A major goal for Krout's Hilton Chair service will be to develop a
symposium on rural aging issues and policy development needs for public and
professional presentations," MacDonald said.

Peter Martin, professor of human development and family studies and
director of Iowa State's gerontology program, said rural aging is the
program's current focus. A major research effort is planned on risk and
resiliency in Iowa rural aging.

"Krout will participate in curriculum development to advance the graduate
and undergraduate gerontology courses by incorporating rural aging content
and developing service-learning opportunities for extension programs and
research," Martin said.

In addition to his research, Krout has written more than 75 articles and
book chapters, and has authored five books on rural aging. He earned his
bachelor's degree in sociology from Denison University, Granville, Ohio, in
1970; master's degree in sociology from Bowling Green State University,
Ohio, in 1973; and doctorate degree in sociology from The Pennsylvania State
University, University Park, in 1977.

Prior to joining Ithaca College, Krout was director of the health care
administration program and coordinator of the gerontology concentration at
the State University of New York - College of Fredonia. He is a fellow of
the Gerontological Society of America and a charter fellow of the
Association of Gerontology in Higher Education.

Krout also will visit Iowa State in November and February 2005.

Established in 1995, the Hilton Chair was endowed by a gift of more than
$1.3 million from the estate of Helen LeBaron Hilton, who served as dean of
the College of Family and Consumer Sciences from 1952 to 1975.

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Quick look

John Krout, director of the Gerontology Institute in the Center for
Health Sciences, Ithaca College, New York, is the 2004-05 Dean Helen LeBaron
Hilton Endowed Chair for Iowa State University's College of Family and
Consumer Sciences. He will speak on "Aging in Rural America" at 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 30. The event will be in the Gateway Conference Center,
Highway 30 and Elwood Drive South, Ames. It is free and open to the public.
Krout is an internationally recognized scholar on aging in rural
America.

Quote

"A major goal for Krout's Hilton Chair service will be to develop a
symposium on rural aging issues and policy development needs for public and
professional presentations."